CIA'S REPORTS MAGNIFY SOVIET- CUBAN PRESENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000807600026-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: October 29, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807600026-6
ARTICLE AP''EAM WASHINGTON POST
ON PAGE ij 29 October 1983
Reports iet Magnify_Soy T4esence
CIA's Reports Magnify
Soviet-Cuban Presence
By:Bob Woodward and'Patrick a Tyler
waahk~gton Post8tttt writers
:'Ian? tgence,reports coming from Grenada
afersthe U.S. "ion show a stronger and
larger Soviet-Ldban tnilitazg soli diplomatic
-presence a" ex ected, but.,they may fall;,
short of supporting 'president -Reagans as-
sertion that the Caribbean island was "being
readied as a major: itar'y bastion to export
terror,' according totninistration and con-
gressional sources.
After the Senate Intelligence Committee
was -briefed yesterday by CIA Director Wil-
liam J. Casey, a Republican member of the
committee said that the large, combat-ready
Cuban construction force -pod extensive an-
tiaircraft batteries camouflaged around the.
-Point Salina Airport 'R? the Soviets. and
"CW had established a permanent base of
operatigns.
But-the senator ded That the adminis-
tration's case ` the island 'was :being
readied to export volution and terror in the
eastern Caribbean was "inferential and cir-
cumstantial" at this poir, .
. Pentagon officials sr 4y they be-
lieved there are about 1;100 Cubans on the
island, 600 of whom have been captured by
U.S. forces who landed on. Grenada Tuesday.
morning.
The CIA has sent five "6errogators to
Grenada to begin screening the captured Cu-
bans, a senior official said. -
The official said the discovery of the well-
established Cuban presence provided U.S.
intelligence analysts with a unique opportu-
nity to, study closely: the military manage-
ment and organization of ? a small I
state under Soviet and Cuban influ-
The Cuban ,construction crews
turned out to-have been equipped
'for combat much like U.S. Navy
Seabees (construction battalions),
,according. to the official. In their bar-
racks on the southern end of
Grenada. the official said, American
forces found special hooks by the
Cubans' bunks from which to hang
their AK47 assault rifles.
in GeV"-
The Cubans- were said.'-to haveI
thigh technology_ Soviet and Cuban f
tmunicationsgear and. weaponry.'
9senior .offnraal said a Cuban gen-:
gland recently ins ommand or,
presence on the island of a:".Cuban
'colonel as - an indication -of the im-
portance placed on the military base.
Several sources, including a Pen-
tagon official and a member of the
Senate Intelligence Committee, said
yesterday that the Cuban colonel,
Pedro Tortolo Comas, -was - sent to
Grenada the*day before the invasion
"to lead the resistance." By the time
Tortolo arrived,, the impending in-
vasion was being widely reported in
the Caribbean. Political leaders there.
were: debating whether to 'endorse
the - invasion plan. by some eastern
Caribbean countries.
A Reagan administration official
said the volume of weapons found in
Grenada by invading U.S. forces far
exceeded the defensive needs of the'
island and the only logical conclu-
sion was that the island was being
prepared as a staging area by the
Soviets-and Cubans:
"The' raw military photos alone
,and the raw numbers, including mil-
lions of rounds of ammunition, make
the, case," this official said.
Contrary to-earlier reports, a Sen-
ate intelligence staff source said a
Cuban ship named the "Vietnam
Heroica"did not resupply the Cuban
troops during the weekend before
the invasion. The supply ship had
been 'in a Grenada harbor since Oct.
17-or Oct. 18. this source said, before'
the death of Grenada's former prime :
minister, Maurice Bishop. Pentagon
officials said yesterday that. a troop.
.transport. offloaded arms an St.
George's on' Oct. 6.
U.S. forces have found :49 -Soviet
bloc diplomats and dependents in
STAT
Grenada. In addition, U.S. officials
said they, were surprised to be told
that 24 North Koreans, 10 East Ger-
mans and four Bulgarians were 4ak-
kvr Grenada.----,
This is considered large for a
-country?'that, size :and , is certain -to
;include. intelhgenoe,, tifl'icers, said .
oidmmnatibn bffieia~,rwho
Kure
tha
g-.,
k-r ;
F r t
almost a ual the iitnmber of. North
Koreans in Nicaragua supporting the
:Soviet-.Cuban presence .there.
At the closest, U.S. Embassy in
Bridgetown, Barbados, there have
been as many as 40 to 50 American
diplomats with a total staff of 155
personnel, according to Salle A.
Shelton; a former;'ami)assador to
Barbados. The embassy represents
,U.S. interests in Barbados and a'.
-number of, other'-:Caribbean coun-
tries..
-
During yesterday's `-Senate Intel-
ligence Committee briefing, accord-
ing to one Republican senator who
attended, Casey compared Grenada
and Nicaragua, noting that the mix
of Soviet bloc diplomats =and advis-
ers seems roughly the 'sapne in each
of the two countries.
Though Casey apparently did not
mention it to the Senate committee
yesterday, a senior `administration
official said the CIA has indications
that a Soviet-backed assassination
team was involved in killing former
prime minister Bishop last.week, six
days before the V.S. invasion.
It was reported from the region
-last week that Bishop and a number
of his aides were killed after a crowd
of supporters freed him from house
arrest Oct. 19. He reportedly was
executed after being seized outside
Fort Rupert on the island by
"-Grenadan troops `then ' under the
command of Gen. Hudson-Austin.
The administration official ,de-
clined'to reveal the-.'basis for infor
mation about a Soviet assassination.
team. The officiaLcited this informa-
tion as an "important intelligence
byproduct" being. gathered in the
wake of the invasion,'_.
COATINUED
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807600026-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807600026-6
Another senior administration of-
ficial, who monitored intelligence
reports in the White House this
week, said there was no mention of
the alleged Soviet assassination team
in the reporting. However, the offi-
cial said he heard verhal.reports of
such a team having been sent to
Grenada, but took the unsourced
reports to be of rather low reliability.
A senior administration official
also said Soviet and-Cuban military
documents and secret files seized
after Tuesday's invasion were booby
trapped with explosives and had to
be defused. Officials said U.S. mil-
itary forces were able to take posses-
lion of most of-Ili etlocaments safely,'
One Pentagon official said the
documents did'iot contain any?writ=,
ten. contingency plan-by 'C bans
or Grenadans. to seize hostages --to
forestall a U.S..invasion. The official
said it was. assumed here in advance
of the ' invasion that the Cubans-
might take hostages. The documents
are still being translated and ana-
lvzed.
Several sources familiar with
Casey's briefing said the CIA re-
ceived very little criticism from the
senators yesterday for underestimat
ing the Soviet and Cuban presence
on Grenada. "There is general agree-
ment that it is difficult to get good
intelligence on. an island when the
Cuhans are 'in charge." said -one
source.
Casey reportedly also made it
clear that he favored the invasion by
a force of- U.S. -Marines and Army .
Rangers and feels it will send an im- i
portant message to the Soviets and
Cubans that their.presense in Nic-
aragua is not accepted, AhatNicara-
gua is not immune from U.S. inter-
vention. and that the,the United
States is willing and able to strike to
protect its interests in the hemi-
sphere.
Congressional sources said that
Reagan recently signed a new. pres-'
idential "finding" to justify CIA: co-
vert activity in the Caribbean. to
-support-democracy," conduct "coun-
terterrorism" -operations. and fight
drug trafficking.
One congressman said the finding
proposed no new funds for such;,op-
erations, but added that the finding ':.
was couched in such vague language
that "vou could drive a truck
through it." A Senate source said the
finding will allow the CIA to support
friendly political organizations.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/23: CIA-RDP90-00965R000807600026-6